Driving the Day

ACTION AT CAMP DAVID? — The FAA has issued a Notice to All Airmen (a NOTAM, in pilot parlance) to expect VIP movement in the Hagerstown, Maryland, area Sunday. Hagerstown is just west of Camp David. Could someone important be visiting the retreat? The White House didn’t have comment for the record, and also hasn’t announced any expected activity for the weekend. The FAA noticehttp://bit.ly/2mwPN0u (H/t Brian Bartlett)

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— W.H. POOL REPORT by Breanna Edwards of The Root: “Pool was pulled aside for notice that there will be movement this afternoon. No word as to where to but we should be departing shortly after the lunch lid.”

MOMENT OF THE DAY — President Donald Trump had House committee chairmen at the White House to discuss health care Friday. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) reminded him that the name of the committee he chairs is the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Walden exchangehttp://cs.pn/2ng8Jz7 … The full cliphttp://cs.pn/2mwynBk

TO WIT — “Donald Trump Plays Background Role in Health-Care Battle: President pressures lawmakers, groups behind the scenes while others take a more public stance,” by WSJ’s Louise Radnofsky and Mike Bender: “The course of Donald Trump’s presidency will be defined by his ability to seal a deal to rework the U.S. health-care system, but so far he has outsourced the job of hammering out the details to about a dozen Republican leaders and White House advisers while he serves in the background as a pitchman. …

“Mr. Trump appeared to score a win after a Wednesday meeting with leaders of six conservative grass-roots groups, several of whom had strafed the House bill a day earlier over objections to provisions that are must-haves for other Republicans. ‘We believe that we can negotiate on these provisions, address them in a substantive way, and get to ‘yes’ on this bill,’ said Adam Brandon of FreedomWorks after the meeting. One person present said the president said issues unaddressed by the House repeal bill could be tackled at a later stage. Mr. Mulvaney and Mr. Bremberg were there to back up the president on fine details, ‘but he’s learned a lot and could explain it very well,’ the person said.” http://on.wsj.com/2mMqeJu

TRUMP SPEAKS — @realDonaldTrump at 9:39 a.m.: “We are making great progress with healthcare. ObamaCare is imploding and will only get worse. Republicans coming together to get job done!”

TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE — “Trump Abruptly Orders 46 Obama-Era Prosecutors to Resign,” by NYT’s Charlie Savage and Maggie Haberman: “The Trump administration moved on Friday to sweep away most of the remaining vestiges of Obama administration prosecutors at the Justice Department, ordering 46 holdover United States attorneys to tender their resignations immediately — including Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan. The firings were a surprise — especially for Mr. Bharara, who has a reputation for prosecuting public corruption cases and for investigating insider trading.

“In November, Mr. Bharara met with then President-elect Donald J. Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan and told reporters afterward that both Mr. Trump and Jeff Sessions, who is now the attorney general, had asked him about staying on, which the prosecutor said he expected to do.But on Friday, Mr. Bharara was among federal prosecutors who received a call from Dana Boente, the acting deputy attorney general, instructing him to resign, according to a person familiar with the matter. As of Friday evening, though some of the prosecutors had publicly announced their resignations, Mr. Bharara had not. A spokesman for Mr. Bharara declined to comment.” http://nyti.ms/2ngp2fa

— “After 2 months, Mattis is only Trump pick at Pentagon,” by AP’s Robert Burns: “Jim Mattis is not lonely in the Pentagon, but two months into his tenure as secretary of defense not a single political appointee has joined him. The retired Marine general, who took office just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn in, has sparred with the White House over choices for high-priority civilian positions that, while rarely visible to the public, are key to developing and implementing defense policy at home and abroad. When the Obama administration closed shop in January, only one of its top-tier Pentagon political appointees stayed in place — Robert Work, the deputy defense secretary. He agreed to remain until his successor is sworn in. So far no nominee for deputy has been announced, let alone confirmed by the Senate.” http://apne.ws/2mMAMZ9

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs: Partnerships between Medicare Part D and PBMs help save each senior roughly $2,340 per year. PBMs have also helped Medicare Part D keep premiums stable since 2006. Learn more about how PBMs deliver value for patients and taxpayers: www.affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

CAUSE AND EFFECT — “Scott Pruitt’s office deluged with angry callers after he questions the science of global warming,” by WaPo’s Juliet Eilperin: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s phones have been ringing off the hook — literally — since he questioned the link between human activity and climate change. The calls to Pruitt’s main line, 202-564-4700, reached such a high volume by Friday that agency officials created an impromptu call center, according to three agency employees. The officials asked for anonymity out of fear of retaliation. By Saturday morning, the number was disconnected. Before the number was disabled, interns were dispatched to answer some of the incoming calls, according to one employee. At times, calls to that number ended up going to voice mail.

“EPA did not respond immediately to a request for comment. While constituents sometimes call lawmakers in large numbers to express outrage over contentious policy issues, it is unusual for Americans to target a Cabinet official. Pruitt’s comments on the CNBC program ‘Squawk Box’ — that ‘we need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis’ over climate change — prompted an immediate pushback from many scientists and environment groups.” http://wapo.st/2mvhC7H

BORDER WARS — “Almost 100 California entities are interested in building Trump’s border wall,” by Carolina A. Miranda on the front page of the L.A. Times: “International engineering corporations, boutique architectural firms and tiny mom-and-pop builders with names like ‘Loko-Koko’ are lining up to help build President Trump’s border wall, despite the fact that Mexico has said it won’t pay for it and polls show that many Americans don’t want it.

“Since the Department of Homeland Security placed a presolicitation notice on the Federal Business Opportunities website in late February for ‘the design and build of several prototype wall structures in the vicinity of the United States border Mexico,’ more than 600 interested vendors across the country have signed on, including almost 100 entities from California.” http://lat.ms/2mMu31a

— “Trump’s revised travel ban dealt first court setback,” by Reuters’ Steve Gorman: “A federal judge in Wisconsin dealt the first legal blow to President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban on Friday, barring enforcement of the policy to deny U.S. entry to the wife and child of a Syrian refugee already granted asylum in the United States. The temporary restraining order, granted by U.S. District Judge William Conley in Madison, applies only to the family of the Syrian refugee, who brought the case anonymously to protect the identities of his wife and daughter, still living in the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo.

“But it represents the first of several challenges brought against Trump’s newly amended executive order, issued on March 6 and due to go into effect on March 16, to draw a court ruling in opposition to its enforcement. Conley, chief judge of the federal court in Wisconsin’s western district and an appointee of former President Barack Obama, concluded the plaintiff ‘has presented some likelihood of success on the merits’ of his case and that his family faces ‘significant risk of irreparable harm’ if forced to remain in Syria.” http://reut.rs/2mdhxVt

UPDATE — “Russian oligarch responds to Trump airport connection,” by John Pacenti and Alexandra Clough on the front page of the Palm Beach Post: “For the first time, Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev confirmed his plane and President Donald Trump’s jet shared the tarmac in Charlotte five days before the general election, saying he was in North Carolina for a business reason. In addition, Rybolovlev through a spokesman reiterated he has never met the Republican billionaire despite buying the Maison de L’Amitié Palm Beach mansion from him nine years ago.

“‘Particular attention has been focused on a trip made by Mr. Rybolovlev to North Carolina,’ said Sergey Chernitsyn, an adviser to Dmitry Rybolovlev. ‘He was in North Carolina for a business meeting and we can state categorically that he did not have any contact with Mr. Trump or any of his advisers at the time he was there.’ Rybolovlev, formerly a fertilizer mogul, never lived in the 62,000-foot mansion. It’s now been torn down and divided into three parcels, one of which recently sold for $34 million.

“Speculation that Trump had been in contact with Rybolovlev was stoked when FAA records showed the oligarch’s A319 grey-and-white jet landed in Charlotte just as the then Republican presidential candidate was visiting the area for a campaign rally in Concord on Nov. 3. Trump’s plane arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport 90 minutes after Rybolovlev. The McClatchy News Services reported limousine companies and local luxury hotels in Concord didn’t have any record of ferrying Rybolovlev. But the arrival of Rybolovlev’s plane certainly made an impression.” http://pbpo.st/2md9LuH … A1 PDFhttp://bit.ly/2lA2Jzq

THE SOUTHERN WHITE HOUSE — “Trump’s Mar-a-Lago is heaven — for spies,” by Darren Samuelsohn in Palm Beach: “President Donald Trump relishes the comforts of his Mar-a-Lago estate for repeated weekends away from Washington, but former Secret Service and intelligence officials say the resort is a security nightmare vulnerable to both casual and professional spies. While Trump’s private club in South Florida has been transformed into a fortress of armed guards, military-grade radar, bomb sniffing dogs and metal-detection checkpoints, there are still notable vulnerabilities, namely the stream of guests who can enter the property without a background check.

“And security experts warn that the commander in chief’s frequent visits — four since he took office in January — afford an unprecedented opportunity for eavesdropping and building dossiers on the president’s routines and habits, as well as those of the inner circle around him. They add that with each repeat visit, the security risk escalates. ‘The president is the biggest, richest intelligence target in the world, and there is almost no limit to the energy and money an adversary will spend to get at him,’ said David Kris, a former Obama-era assistant attorney general for national security.” http://politi.co/2nga6xy

HAPPENING TODAY — VP MIKE PENCE is in Louisville, Kentucky. “Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, two of Bevin’s young sons, as well as one of their friends … Pence came down the stairs, hugged the boys, and then brought them and Bevin back up the stairs to the plane for a quick tour of Air Force Two,” per pooler Ashley Parker of the NYT.

STRANGE TIMES — “GOP congressman offers strange Obama conspiracy theory — and even stranger explanations,” by WaPo’s Aaron Blake: “First, here’s what [Pennsylvania Rep. Mike] Kelly said last Saturday at a local Republican Party Lincoln Day dinner: “President Obama himself said he was going to stay in Washington until his daughter graduated. I think we ought to pitch in to let him go someplace else, because he is only there for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to run a shadow government that is going to totally upset the new agenda. It just doesn’t make sense. And people sit back and they say to me, ‘My gosh, why can’t you guys get this done?’ I say, ‘We’ve got a new CEO, we’ve got some new heads in the different departments, but the same people are there, and they don’t believe that the new owners or the new managers should be running the ship.’” http://wapo.st/2mclusv

— PAGE SIX: “Fans cheer for Obamas and Bono at NYC lunch,” by Christine Burroni and Ian Mohr: “Talk about a power lunch. Bono joined Barack and Michelle Obama at Stephen Starr’s restaurant Upland on Friday, and the trio caused quite the stir. ‘Everyone in the restaurant knew they were there,; a source told Page Six of patrons who were tipped off by ‘tons’ of Secret Service in the Gramercy eatery. ‘There was a major buzz in the air.’ The former first couple and the U2 frontman ate in a private dining room downstairs for a ‘casual lunch’ — with no way of avoiding crowds, as they had to walk though [sic] the main dining area to get to their table. Bono and the former president entered first and Michelle followed behind. We’re told Barack Obama ‘flashed his million-dollar smile’ as he waved to the crowd while exiting the restaurant. Fans also cheered for the famous diners. Meanwhile, on Thursday night Obama made a surprise appearance at Carbone for Jay Z’s D’Ussé Dinner Series, when, ‘in the middle of the dinner, Secret Service started surveying the area,’ a source told Page Six. Hosts at the event included Roc Nation Latin CEO Romeo Santos.” http://pge.sx/2nqfi1b

GET YOUR BRACKET READY FOR THE PLAYBOOK POOL — POLITICO Playbook is gearing up for college tournament time with our very own bracket challenge. Our Playbook outposts across the country (D.C., N.Y., N.J., Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois, California) are co-hosting the PLAYBOOK POOL – a bracket challenge where you can face-off against your friends, top Playbookers, and political insiders. Track who’s up and down after each round in Playbook as you compete to win prizes including Amazon Echoes and Dots (where you can listen to the Playbook flash briefing), BEATS headphones, Snapchat Spectacles and more. You’ll be able to create your bracket starting March 12 when the brackets are released on Selection Sunday.

Playbook Reads

PHOTO DU JOUR: White House press secretary Sean Spicer adjusts his American flag pin after being told it was upside down during the daily press briefing at the White House on March 10. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

K ST FILES — “Flynn told Trump team he might register as a foreign agent,” by WaPo’s Ashley Parker: “Attorneys for Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, informed the incoming White House legal counsel during the transition that Flynn might need to register with the government as a foreign agent — a phone call that raised no alarms within Trump’s team, despite the unusual circumstance of having a top national security post filled by someone whose work may have benefited a foreign government. The firm Flynn headed, Flynn Intel Group, was hired last year when Flynn was an adviser to the Trump campaign by the Netherlands-based firm ­Inovo BV, which is owned by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin. Alptekin has close ties to Turkish President Recep Tay­yip Erdogan.

“Although the contract ended after the election, new details about the work Flynn did for Inovo resurrect the controversy over his short tenure as Trump’s top national security aide. The national security adviser is supposed to be an honest broker within the executive branch, pulling together military and diplomatic options for the president so he can decide what policy to pursue. But Flynn’s work potentially benefiting Turkey meant he was representing the interests of a country other than the United States at the same time he was advising Trump on foreign policy during the election.” http://wapo.st/2nagfOY

THE LOYAL OPPOSITION — “Governors races test Democrats’ rift,” by Gabriel Debenedetti: “With 27 GOP-controlled governorships up for election in 2018, national Democrats envision the midterm elections as a chance to rebalance the scales at the state level, where there are currently twice as many Republican governors than Democrats. But already, party leaders are running into a complication — unresolved issues left over from the Hillary Clinton-Bernie Sanders presidential primary. Far from defeated, Sanders-aligned progressives are nationalizing their fight, showing less patience than ever for Democrats who don’t agree with them. And that’s generating fear and nervousness in the South — in places like Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee — where some promising Democratic candidates who are looking at running statewide in 2018 could face resistance from the left.” http://politi.co/2mc4BOx

WEST COAST WATCH — “’I was determined not to lose my voice’:Former Sen. Barbara Boxer says her retirement plans were upended by Trump,” by LA Times’ Seema Mehta: “When then-Sen. Barbara Boxer pondered her retirement, she envisioned informally advising President Hillary Clinton and a Democratic Senate, traveling the country to deliver speeches and spending more time with her husband of 55 years. ‘I was so excited,’ Boxer told an audience of several hundred Friday at UC Berkeley, where she donated her congressional archives. ‘Whoops.’” http://lat.ms/2mTsA9S

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs: Partnerships between Medicare Part D and PBMs help save each senior roughly $2,340 per year. PBMs have also helped Medicare Part D keep premiums stable since 2006. Learn more about how PBMs deliver value for patients and taxpayers: www.affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

–“A Warning From History,” by Richard J. Evans in The Nation, reviewing “Hitler: Ascent, 1889–1939,” By Volker Ullrich: “A new biography of Hitler reminds us that there is more than one way to destroy a democracy.” http://bit.ly/2n8GZ2f … $23.80 on Amazonhttp://amzn.to/2d7GrU2

–“The Making of a Mexican-American Dream,” by Sarah Menkedick in Pacific Standard Magazine: “Despite the rhetoric and hate crimes, Mexican immigrants are poised to reframe American culture, if white people would only let them.” http://bit.ly/2neuvDb

–“How to Become an International Gold Smuggler,” by Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin in Bloomberg Businessweek: “Harold Vilches, a 23-year-old Chilean, exported $80 million in contraband gold. It all started with a Google search.” http://bloom.bg/2mRC05J (h/t Longreads.com)

–“Patagonia and The North Face: saving the world – one puffer jacket at a time,” by Marisa Meltzer in The Guardian: “The retail giants are not only competing to sell outdoor gear – they are rivals in the contest to sell the thrill of the wilderness to the urban masses.” http://bit.ly/2mvPB1K

–“Strangers in a Cruel Land,” by Matt Cameron in The Baffler: “The wretched state of immigration enforcement.” http://bit.ly/2noYt6R

–“The Not-So-Secret Life of Terrence Malick,” by Eric Benson in the April Texas Monthly: “The world’s most private director turns his lens on the place where he’s always been most public: Austin.” http://bit.ly/2mLoiRd

–“The Founder of Hollywood’s Most Elite Sex Club Is Unhappy,” by Mike Sager in Esquire: “He bought a mansion and filled it with debauchery. It still isn’t enough.” http://bit.ly/2n9skEf

–“Going underground: inside the world of the mole-catchers,” by Brendan Borrell in The Guardian: “A bitter battle is raging within the mole-catching community over the kindest way to carry out their deadly work.” http://bit.ly/2lMKwU0 (h/t TheBrowser.com)

–“Assad’s Control Erodes as Warlords Gain Upper Hand,” by Fritz Schaap in Der Spiegel with pix by Christian Werner: “Bashar Assad’s power over the areas of Syria under government control is slipping. Armed militias are growing stronger and the country’s president can do nothing to stop them.” http://bit.ly/2noXALF

–“White riot,” by Martin Fletcher in The Guardian: “Geert Wilders is the latest ethnic nationalist to threaten the European liberal order. With his party on track to win this month’s election, a country famed for tolerance is being dragged to the right.” http://bit.ly/2maKsIM

–“The Curse of the Bahia Emerald, a Giant Green Rock That Ruins Lives,” by Elizabeth Weil in Wired: “Meet the schemers, investors, and dreamers who were bewitched by a giant green rock.” http://bit.ly/2npevh6

Playbookers

SPOTTED — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel waiting for a United flight from DCA to Chicago Friday afternoon. He posed for a photo at the gate with a group of women. … Kathleen Sebelius at Masseria Friday night …Fareed Zakaria at the French restaurant Daniel Thursday night in Manhattan, with a plethora of shiny medals adorning his chest for a wine club meeting he was attending in a private room upstairs.

OUT AND ABOUT IN AUSTIN — The New York Times Magazine took to SXSW to celebrate its second annual Music Issue at The Belmont in Austin, Texas. Party-goers were also treated to a special performance by BJ the Chicago Kid. The more than 1,000 guests dined on tacos and guacamole from Fresa’s. SPOTTED: Dean Baquet, Jim Rutenberg, Eric Lipton, Sam Dolnick, Jake Silverstein, Meredith Levien, Sebastian Tomich, Andy Wright, Lisa Howard, Ana Marie Cox, Marc Lavalee, Luke Wilson, Peter Kafka, Joe Pompeo, Frank Pallotta, John Hendrickson, Josh Constine, Erik Maza, Lockhart Steele.

TRANSITIONS — David Bergstein started as the DSCC’s new national press secretary. … Nancy Dorn, GE’s VP of government affairs and policy, will be retiring from the company this fall after a 14-year run. Starting on April 1, Karan Bhatia, currently the VP of global government affairs and policy (and former deputy USTR in the Bush Administration) will lead GE’s combined government affairs and policy team in Washington … Connor Shaw is heading to New York to help launch a PAC for the United Service Workers Union, one of the oldest unions in the country.

****** A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs: Government programs aren’t always known for coming in under budget, but with the help of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the Medicare Part D program has done just that – save taxpayer money while providing quality prescription drug benefits for seniors. PBMs work to negotiate significant cost reductions for seniors, saving each beneficiary roughly $2,340 per year. But this private-sector, cost-saving solution not only works on behalf of seniors, PBMs also partner with employers, unions, health plans, state governments and public sector retirees to manage increasing drug costs and keep their workforce and members healthy. Learn about the private sector solution keeping seniors and workers healthy and bending the drug cost curve: www.affordableprescriptiondrugs.org ******

The host of TYT Network's nationally-syndicated Bill Press Show (Monday-Friday from 7-9am ET), Press attends the daily White House press briefing and writes a weekly column for the powerhouse politics website The Hill.